I'll have honey on my bread - A Hermitcraft season 7 story
by 787dreamgirl
Summary: A mildly annoyed Mumbo Jumbo is on a hunt around the server in search of his stuff and the one who pranked him.


The abundance of pistons simultaneously retracted at the flick of a switch. Mumbo Jumbo stood in front of his new invention's prototype, closely examining the blueprints he held in his hand. He turned the machine on then off again. Everything seemed to be working. He smiled triumphantly and twirled his mustache satisfied with the result.

Mumbo had been having a blast working with honey and concluded that he absolutely loved this new method. Who would've thought that it could be such a useful resource when designing and expanding the functionality of contraptions! The man could practically see endless possibilities in great detail before his mind's eye. He hadn't felt this excited since arriving into their brand new world. Grant it, starting from square one hadn't been a walk in the park but nonetheless those first few days were special. This however was even better. This could very well be a new age of his redstone career.

That thought echoed in his head for a few seconds only to be cut off by a sudden urge to yawn. He couldn't suppress it despite his best effort to do so. The buzz of excitement he gained energy from was starting to wear off. The interruption made him look up. Only then did he realize how late it had already become. According to the clock on the wall it was dark out. He'd been so caught up in coming up with various ideas, drawing blueprints and making his plans a reality, that he completely lost track of time.

Mumbo let out a tired sigh, rolled up the papers and stepped over to the corner of the room, shoes clicking on the concrete floor. He stopped in front of a line of shulker boxes. There were three of them, unlabeled, but dyed yellow to signify the contents. He opened one up and looked at the many honey bottles with a grin. He let his thoughts drift for a bit. Besides tasting amazing they were the key to open up a whole new world of redstone engineering. This amount however was hardly enough for his needs. He really should meet up with Xisuma in the near future to make that honey farm…

About a minute passed. Returning to the present, Mumbo contently closed the lid and went to wash his honey and dust stained hands at a nearby cauldron. By the time he was done the water had gained a reddish tint. It was time to head home for the night.

The man picked up the yellow boxes and put them away in the relatively small storage room connected to his work area then proceeded to put his suit and only elytra on. He took a last glance around to make sure everything was in order, just in case he forgot something, as he often did. He then locked up the workshop with care and walked out into the night. The sky was dark blue and some of the stars were out. No clouds to be seen. It was going to be a cold night then.

Mumbo breathed in the fresh air. It felt good until the chill hit him. Good job he had his suit coat to keep him warm on the way. He took off, rockets popping, heading back to his hobbit hole. It was past nine o'clock when he finally arrived home. He landed on an upper level of his base. The flight had been pleasant if not a bit cold but at the moment he was so worn out that he didn't care about anything anymore except getting into bed. He did exactly that and very soon fell asleep dreaming about some wacky experiment.

The next morning Mumbo awoke to the sound of multiple branches breaking and a loud thud. He sat up sluggishly. The sun was just rising on the horizon, filling his room with the light of dawn. Rubbing out the sleep from his eyes, he wondered for a moment whether it had been just a dream or not. An annoyed shout rang out from somewhere close by. That was answer enough. Mumbo got up and curiously peeked outside. He was met with the sight of a strange scene.

At the foot of his base on the neat lawn stood Impulse, frantically cleaning up some slime blocks and fiddling around with something. His black and yellow shirt stuck out among the lush greenery. The day seemed to be starting off eventful. Mumbo shook his head and headed down to meet him. Amidst the big mess, Impulse noticed his fellow redstoner approaching and greeted him.

"Morning, Mumbo. Really sorry for the ruckus." the man said a bit ashamed. Mumbo was more concerned however about the state of his friend when he spotted a fresh wound and a nasty black spot on his forehead along with about a dozen scratches on both his arms. He also seemed to limp a little when he stepped over.

"Never mind that, it's nothing," Mumbo assured, "what happened to you though?"

"Uh, I kinda flew face first into a tree." Impulse summarized his clumsy entrance. He saw Mumbo's eyes shift over to the pile of slime on the ground, "Oh, it was to somewhat break my fall." he added.

"Break a fall or break it all." Mumbo said in agreement. "Nice reflexes. Let me help you tidy it up."

The pair got to work and in a short while managed to clean up all the slime. When they were done Impulse raised a hand to his face feeling the blood trickling down from his bruise. Mumbo spoke up.

"Hey, Impulse, I have supplies in my base to treat that. You can't go around flying in this state. Come with me." he offered. Impulse smiled gratefully.

"Thanks man."

He leaned onto Mumbo's shoulder and the two slowly made their way up, Mumbo making sure his friend wouldn't stumble. Upstairs Mumbo invited Impulse, who took off his elytra upon entering the room, to take a seat in an armchair while he grabbed a potion of healing and a small glass cup from his medical box just beside his bed. He poured some of the warm pinkish liquid into the cup till it was full then handed it over to Impulse along with a bag of ice.

"Here you go. These should do the trick," he said.

Impulse nodded, took the medicine and downed it in a single gulp. The next second he hissed. The potion immediately took effect and his wounds healed rapidly causing a horrible itch on his head and arms. Very soon a swelling here and there was all that remained. Only when the itching stopped completely did he hold the icepack to his forehead. Meanwhile Mumbo rummaged through a couple of chests then sat down opposite of his friend.

"So where were you going this early in the morning and how did you end up in my tree? he asked. Impulse lowered the ice and turned to face Mumbo, still grimacing a bit.

"Well long story short, yesterday I flew west in search of larger quantities of ice. The thing is I almost forgot that I have a meeting with Tango and Jevin today. Our schedules were pretty tight this week and this was the only time all three of us could make it so I flew back as soon as I could. And I guess you know the rest…" he said then after a pause he jumped to his feet in realization. "Which reminds me, I'm going to be late if I don't get going soon."

Mumbo chuckled, went after Impulse and let him out the front door. He watched as his visitor swiftly strapped his wings back on his back.

"Seriously man, thanks a bunch for helping me out."

"Your welcome. Take care, Impulse."

"Will do. See ya later!" said Impulse with a final wave of goodbye. He then stepped out onto the terrace, lit a rocket and took off.

Mumbo was left alone, squinting at the golden light filtering through the trees. He took a moment to appreciate the gorgeous morning view and made a mental checklist on today's chores. First of all, he needed to organize himself, then swing by his workshop to pick up a few plans for the honey farm, then arrange a short meeting with Xisuma, and after that…whatever the day may bring. Maybe chat with Iskall for a bit? He had gotten sick a few days ago and was dying, not because of his illness, but of boredom. Yes, he probably should drop in to keep his friend company. He'd definitely like that…

Now that he had a rough idea on what he'll do, Mumbo put away the ice left behind by Impulse and got ready to head out. He put on his suit and his favorite red tie from his collection and combed his hair as a finishing touch despite of being fully aware that it'll just get messy anyway from flying around. He did it mostly out of habit. In the hall he grabbed his own pair of wings off the coat rack and tied it to his shoulders.

The man walked out onto the balcony. A soft wind was blowing. It felt nice. He reached into his inventory and grabbed a few flight rockets. Without a second thought he casually jumped off the side. His wings opened up and he glided for a little. Before losing all momentum and crashing into the forest floor the first rocket went off, swinging him upward, high over the leaf canopy. The workshop wasn't too far away, only about four minutes by elytra. On the way he sped passed another flying hermit who he made out to be False. She shouted a hasty greeting but Mumbo didn't quite catch it.

A minute later he arrived back at the workshop. A freshly built clean white building with a grey frame stood at the foot of a hill in a plains biome. Mumbo landed in front of it. He opened the door and walked down a flight of quartz stairs to another door with a few buttons next to it on the wall. The man punched in the code (not 1234) and went inside. The sterile air of the room and the scent of redstone made him smile.

The blueprints were just where he left them the night before: on a table packed with many other tools like rulers, a pair of compasses and measuring tapes along with a couple other devices. Mumbo picked up three papers from the pile and turned on his heels walking over to the storage room. He opened the door and gasped. The three yellow boxes were gone. He was certain he had left them in there but just to be sure he checked all over the workshop but in the end he found no trace of the honey.

"Ugh, are you kidding me?" he groaned, remembering how long it took to harvest all that honey without an efficient farm. On the floor he noticed a note most likely left behind by the culprit. He knelt down and read it.

A trail leads to what has gone missing.

In the jungle to the north lives a honeybee.

He has the first clue.

_Oh, so we're doing this now?_ Mumbo thought. _Jungle, honeybee, the one and only Beesuma…_ He sighed. He did want to meet with Xisuma anyway, so he might as well follow this 'trail'. He got up to his feet and with his free hand reached into a pocket after his communicator. He opened the chat and started typing.

Mumbo Jumbo: Hey, Xisuma, are you up?

Xisuma: Yeah

Mumbo Jumbo: Could we meet asap?

Xisuma: Sure, come to my base.

GoodTimesWithScar fell from a high place.

Mumbo Jumbo: Okay. I'll see you there.

Xisuma: Scar, are you okay?

Mumbo Jumbo: Oh

GoodTimesWithScar: I don't want to talk about it…

Mumbo put away his communicator and blueprints. Annoyed by the fact that he's being pranked he ran up to the surface and took off toward the jungle X lived in. When he arrived he spotted Xisuma out in the open waiting for him. Mumbo carefully maneuvered his way down to his friend.

"Fancy seeing you here, Mumbo. Is it about the honey farm?" X asked cheerfully as they strolled along. Mumbo nodded, not yet addressing his situation.

"Yes, I brought the blueprints." he said, handing the papers over. X quickly looked them over from behind his bee-styled helmet. He did look a bit ridiculous.

"Splendid. I too have been doing some planning. If you're free tomorrow we could start building this thing." X proposed but Mumbo's thoughts were elsewhere. After a moment of silence he decided to ask his friend. If he has the first clue, he should probably know something about this.

"Xisuma, may I ask you something? X turned to him, waiting for him to continue. "What do you know about what happened this morning in my workshop?"

"You know, Beef's village is coming along nicely. I think you should check it out." X said with a wide grin in his eyes. The change of subject made Mumbo even more suspicious. Why was he talking about Beef's village? Oh…

"Who put you up to thi—?"

"Well I'll be seeing you. Bye." X interrupted and before Mumbo could call after him, he flew away.

Mumbo stood dumbfounded. What was going on here? At least now he knew where to go next. He shook his head and flew on towards the desert. If this didn't end soon, he'd have no rockets left to get home with. He decided to turn it down a little, firing rockets less frequently and gliding a bit more.

A few minutes later he arrived at Beef's desert village. It did look ten times cozier now with a lot more buildings, pathways and a nice beach area full of colorful umbrellas. Mumbo circled around for a little. When he was done seeing everything, he landed in the middle of the marketplace. A couple villagers were running around the stalls, giving him a side glance before continuing whatever they were doing.

Mumbo searched some of the houses but Beef didn't seem to be home at the moment. He wandered around aimlessly, wondering what to do when he caught the stare of a librarian. The villager tilted his head. Mumbo cocked an eyebrow and followed him. The two ended up in the library. On a lectern sat an unsigned book opened to the first page. Mumbo took one look. A single sentence was written on it:

Go to the tree nobody touches and break the golden rule.

He closed the book thinking for a moment. Which tree is the clue referring to? Nobody touches it, so it's special… His face lit up suddenly. The oak on the edge of the Mooshroom Island they agreed to leave intact! He smiled at the librarian who bowed his head and hummed back. The man dashed out of the building. Next stop: the shopping district.

Instead of flying, Mumbo opted to travel by boat this time. The sun was well up by the time he got to his destination. Among the shops he spotted the green of the lone tree. He rowed towards it and as soon as the boat touched solid ground, he jumped out and proceeded to break the 'golden rule'; to dig straight down. Right under the tree he came across a cleverly hidden wooden sign with coordinates carved into it. Mumbo took his communicator device out of his pocket and wrote the numbers down. Then he got to work to patch up the hole.

In no time he followed the coordinates back to his jungle neighborhood. He ended up in front of Grian's starter base just as he ran out of rockets to ignite. Mumbo sighed deeply. Of course, he should have known from the get go. Played by the infamous Jungle Bandit…

"Grian, are you here?" he shouted but received no answer. A faint hissing sound caught his attention. Thinking that he just walked straight into a trap, Mumbo's heart skipped a beat and he felt more than ready to leave until a navy blue parrot fluttered out the window and perched on his shoulder. Mumbo let out a breath he didn't even realize he held back. The annoying little thing! Why on earth did Grian keep it around?

Since nobody came to open the front door, Mumbo let himself in. He walked around the hall, looking for his friend but with the exception of the parrot, the house seemed empty. He was just about to text Grian when the bird flew over to a painting and disappeared behind it. Mumbo's interest instantly piqued and he went after the parrot. He walked down a secret corridor decorated with wood and glowstone at the end of which there was a way out into the open to a backyard.

Mumbo stepped outside and stared breathlessly at the foliage. Grass, flowers and bushes covered the ground and the tall cliff-walls, like a botanical garden. In the center of the garden there was a picnic table set up and two jungle wood chairs. On one of them sat Grian, arms crossed, smiling ear to ear.

"Welcome, Mumbo, to my Secret Garden!" he said invitingly, amused by his friend's awe. For a moment Mumbo was left speechless, taking in the sights. The parrot sitting on his shoulder made another funny sound, bringing him back to here and now.

"Your parrot scared the life out of me, just so you know." he remarked off topic.

"Professor Beak, be nicer to our guest." said Grian in a rebuking tone. Professor Beak fell silent and flew up onto a branch high above his owner's head.

"So… What was all this for?" Mumbo asked, obviously confused.

"I made breakfast. Join me." Grian said matter of factly. Mumbo struggled not to facepalm.

"Really, Grian? Why go through all of this? Couldn't you have just texted me?"

"I could have but where's the fun in that? And admit it, it was fun." Grian said, eyes glowing of goodhearted mischief. He saw Mumbo fidget and read his thoughts with ease. "I'll give your stuff back after breakfast. Promise." he added.

"Fine." Mumbo gave in finally. And yes, he had to admit, he did have a fun morning after all. He sat down on the second chair. An ecstatic Grian raised the teapot and pored both of them some tea. He then offered a plate of bread to his friend. Mumbo accepted and took two slices.

"What would you like on your toast?" asked Grian.

"Honey."


End file.
